Chief Constable of Dorset Constabulary

Dorset Police has had a consistently poor level of performance in terms of the time limit for complying with information requests. This has been highlighted by (1) the FOI Audit in November 2023, and (2) the performance data supplied by Dorset Police to the Commissioner over the past 12 months. The Commissioner also has concerns about the time it takes Dorset Police to complete internal reviews.

Following engagement by his staff with Dorset Police about the underlying reasons for these failings, the Commissioner has reached the view that Dorset Police’s request handling practices do not conform to parts 4, 5 and 8 of the section 45 Freedom of Information Code of Practice, issued by the Cabinet Office in July 2018 (the Code).